WEST PALM BEACH

Canker Quarantine Extended

Published: Friday, May 9, 2003 at 2:13 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, May 9, 2003 at 12:00 a.m.

The Florida Department of Agriculture added 51 square miles in Palm Beach County on Thursday to an expanding citrus canker quarantine area. Property owners cannot take any fruit, leaves or wood from citrus trees from quarantine areas, which was expanded to include areas in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and elsewhere in Palm Beach County. The quarantine zone, which already includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, has now increased by nearly 115 square miles for a total South Florida quarantine area of approximately 1,115 square miles, the state said. The new regulations will stay in place at least two years, officials said. Citrus canker causes brown lesions on leaves and fruit, eventually causing the fruit to drop prematurely. It does not harm humans but does pose a threat to Florida's $9.1 billion citrus industry. The state is cutting down infected trees plus all other citrus trees within 1,900 feet, despite the objections and lawsuits of some homeowners.

<p>The Florida Department of Agriculture added 51 square miles in Palm Beach County on Thursday to an expanding citrus canker quarantine area. Property owners cannot take any fruit, leaves or wood from citrus trees from quarantine areas, which was expanded to include areas in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and elsewhere in Palm Beach County. The quarantine zone, which already includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, has now increased by nearly 115 square miles for a total South Florida quarantine area of approximately 1,115 square miles, the state said. The new regulations will stay in place at least two years, officials said. Citrus canker causes brown lesions on leaves and fruit, eventually causing the fruit to drop prematurely. It does not harm humans but does pose a threat to Florida's $9.1 billion citrus industry. The state is cutting down infected trees plus all other citrus trees within 1,900 feet, despite the objections and lawsuits of some homeowners.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output -->